Smith College, a women's college in Northampton, Mass., voted to remove female pronouns from the student government
constitution, according to the Boston Globe. The all-female school made the move in deference to transgender students. In place of
'she,' the constitution will now read 'the student.' With about 550 students voting, the change passed by 50 votes. Nearby Wellesley
college has its first 'gender blind' dorm this year to accommodate transgender students.
Psychology graduate students at Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Fla., have a shot this year at a $4,000 to $5,000
scholarship in honor of a gay man, thanks to his mother. The Miami Herald reports that importer/exporter Eve Rose donated $100,000
to develop scholarships in the name of her son, Gordon, who died of melanoma at the age of 56. Rose said her son was open about
his sexuality at business meetings but never told her openly. She said she hopes the psychology grants will help research aimed at
helping gays and lesbians accept themselves and increase awareness in the broader community.
A gay man in Montana filed suit against his ex-wife for access to his children, reports the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Jeremy
Stockstad is the father of a 9-year-old daughter and a 6-year-old son whom he says he cannot see because his wife is blocking
access. A custody agreement allows Stockstad to see his children every other weekend but his ex-wife moved to Utah. When he
brought his male partner to a music recital in Utah, Stockstad was told he wouldn't be allowed to see the children with his partner.
Queer as Folk is the newest phenomenon in straight female pleasures, according to Newsweek. The Showtime series, mostly about
gay men, enjoys an audience made up of 50 percent women. What about shows that have scantily clad women? Sex and the City
has a 42 percent male audience.
A gay man in Orlando filed the first complaint under Orlando's six-month-old non-discrimination ordinance that includes sexual
orientation, the Sentinel reports. Roger Welch claims he was thrown out of a sports bar after the bartender found out Welch was gay.
The ordinance was authorized by the Orlando City Council in December and bans discrimination for housing, employment, and
public accommodation on the basis of sexual orientation and other classes of minorities.
Through a settlement with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, transsexual Jessica Elaine Wolfe will receive state-
funded hormone treatment, according to AP. Wolfe, convicted of raping an 8-year-old girl in 1995, is reportedly receiving $7,000 per
year in hormone treatments. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 20 years ago that prisons must provide some medical care for transsexual
inmates, but the Court left the type of care to the discretion of the jailers.
U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla., is the only Democratic presidential hopeful who opposes gay civil unions and gay marriage,
reports the Orlando Sentinel. But Graham now says he supports tax breaks for gay couples to purchase health insurance.
Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean won a straw poll at the Wisconsin Democratic convention. Among delegates to the convention,
Dean heartily beat Sen. John Kerry 126-33. 'Dean's victory in this straw poll doesn't mean he'll win the Wisconsin primary on Feb. 17,
2004. But it means he's off to a good start in the state,' said Jeff Mayers, editor and president of WisPolitics.com .
The Log Cabin Republicans said it deplores the introduction of a proposed anti-gay amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The
measure, the Federal Marriage Amendment introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, would deny marriage to same-sex
couples and restrict states from granting basic fairness to gay and lesbian families. Three Democrats and three Republicans are
sponsors of the bill.
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